As we begin another tumultuous golf season, the US golf tour is groaning. First, a number of the players are asking that Jay Monahan, the PGA Commissioner, be replaced. Many players are still unhappy that he “backdoored” them when he made some kind of agreement with the Saudi Tour (The LIV Tour). They feel betrayed. Second, in an effort to hold on to as many top-rated players as possible, the PGA is announcing an equity ownership value to the best players. The tournament prize money has been increased as much as possible to compete with the Saudi tour and it isn’t enough. So–rather than make the entire tournament into one long commercial to fund even bigger prize purses–the PGA is telling players “stick with us and build a future where you share in the profits of the whole PGA organization”. The details so far are sketchy–at best. But the goal is a long term commitment by players to stay on the American tour. Watch for details–if you’re a fan. But even if you’re not a fan this may be worth following. Our guess (and that’s all it is) is that the networks will eventually sacrifice some profits to throw into the players prize money “kitty” to keep the business model afloat. Time will tell.
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